1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of graphical icons. More specifically, the present invention relates to using color, coding and status related icons to provide additional visual indicators to the user.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The prior art is replete with examples of using icons in various schemes to present visual information related to a particular object. Many applications contain visual indicators that relate icons for existing objects of a particular type to an icon for creating new objects of that type. One known method is to superimpose the image of a star on the upper left-hand corner of an "existing" icon. For example, the icon for a document in Lotus WordPro.RTM. 96 is a blank page with the upper right-hand corner turned down, while the icon for a new document is the same but with a star in the upper left-hand corner. This metaphor is not carried any firther than this, however; specifically, it is not carried into user assistance programs, e.g. wizards. In known user assistance programs, icons are used to indicate the start and finish of a user assistance program. For instance, a green "start" auto racing flag and a black and white checkered "finish" auto racing flag reflect the beginning and end of a program or series of program steps respectively, but the flag icon does not relate in any way to the icon for a specific data or file object. What the prior art has failed to teach is a method of using persistent color, encoding and status themes throughout the development of an object of similar type.
Whatever the precise merits, features and advantages of the above cited references, none of them achieves or fulfills the purposes of the present invention. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide for the use of persistent background color schemes for iconic symbols and corresponding related objects.
It is an additional object of the present invention to use the persistent color schemes throughout the development of an object of similar type.
It is an additional object of the present invention to use persistent symbols for icons representing objects, as well as related object types.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide symbol coded visual cues to provide status or progress information.
These and other objects are achieved by the detailed description that follows.